So long, farewell, and call us for a reference

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At the start of summer, Michele and I welcomed a couple of interns to our staff, which means we went from a staff of two to four in a matter of days. (I'd be lying if I said we didn't do a little jig behind closed doors to celebrate.)

College students Myriah and Natalie, both journalism and fashion enthusiasts (catering to my and Michele's passions, respectively), were the cream of the crop - eager, intuitive, creative and little balls of unending energy. They helped on nearly every photo shoot, brainstorming session, and proof process. And when we ran ragged, one of them was always there to ask, "Can I help you with anything?"

However, in between the long photo shoots and roundtables about headline writing, there have been countless conversations between Michele and me that drift off onto topics about our personal lives, fully forgetting the presence of younger ears in the room. We've talked openly about everything - from our marriages, our children, and our past lives to current events, politics, and religion, and even the most mundane topics like our favorite movie scenes (sometimes acted out) and how to have a proper skin care routine.

We do talk about the magazine. Some of the time, anyway.

So the girls were privy to much information about us, and often it was only after something mindlessly slipped out did we follow up with a, "This is a life lesson, girls!" or worse, "Forget what you just heard, girls!"

In addition to teaching our interns about the inner workings of a magazine, Michele and I have effectively scared them about life after college. Countless times we encouraged them to go after their own aspirations, career and otherwise, as well as stress the importance of sunscreen, healthy communication in a relationship, and how not to strangle their future children.

Myriah's internship ended last week and Natalie leaves us today, exiting this psuedo-working world to return to the safer confines of college. We've wished them the best of luck and offered ourselves as future references, and I can tell you with certainty that we'll come back to work on Monday feeling as though we've been severed.

Do your best, girls. Wear your sunscreen and work hard. We'll miss you. And thanks for everything.

by Jennie Treadway-Miller

Jennie was a columnist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press for eight years prior to moving to Amarillo in 2008. She is an avid reader, runner and writer.